Disappointed Customer

Hey everyone. Just need a pep talk...I had an order for a cake to be delivered today. She requested a buttercream cake, enough to serve 20. Wanted fondant roses, and a fondant #1, and to have a pink and purple theme. She said it was for her 1 year old girl.

I delivered a 2 tier, banana cake with cream cheese buttercream, just as requested. It was beautiful. Looked like a wedding cake. I had the bottom layer covered in fondant roses, top layer border was done in gumpaste flowers all in the same colors, and it had everything else she wanted. The top looked a little bare, tho, and so I added a couple fondant bears. Adorable. Or so I thought.

I delivered, her mother loved it, as she collected the cake, and paid me. 1 hour later she called back, distraught that her daughter was so disappointed with the cake. She says she did not ask for the bears.

I suggested a refund (DUMB) but she said that they then would not have a cake for the party, and then my cell died.... I was in an underground parking when I got her call.

For delivery 20 km, each way, and the cake, I charged 60 dollars.

Any feedback, what should I, could I have done/said? I am new in the business and am heartbroken with the response...

Well, you know the old saying, no good deed goes unpunished. Next time, don't give away freebies, like bears, but do provide what the customer ordered. I'm confused why 20 servings equaled 2 tiers of cake. 20 servings is one 8" tier.

Are you saying the one year old daughter didn't like it? Or are there 3 generations involved here?

It's always hard to know what might be in the customer's head compared to what you envision - especially if they don't give you any pic to compare toIt sounds like the customer had definate ideas and what you gave her just wasn't close enough. I would never make a tiered cake for just 20 servings....that is way over the top in my opinion. I bet she wanted a slab/sheet......said that they then would not have a cake for the party, ......Any chance they are just looking to get a free cake? Why not use it....why not just remove the bears if that's what she objects to? I don't get why they would not serve the cake.....even if they just cut it in the kitchen and serve plated.

for crying out loud, the brat is ONE. I want to tell them to get over themselves!! It is so ridiculous to worry about what a ONE year old wants. In five minutes they won't even remember to play with the toys, they will be in the boxes.

PS...if someone complains...i NEVER make them another cake....if they try to come back...i send them packin to the grocery store...life's to short.....i weed out my customers. who wants to deal with this crap ever again?

and i can tell you a 1 year old didn't complain about bears...she sounds like she's lying.

I want to meet this miracle child who at age 1 can talk. i don't know of any baby that can say more than mama or dada at 12 months let alone voice their opinion of their like and dislike over something

OMG! At 1 year old the kid doesn't even know to blow out the candle. Let alone design and be dissapointed about their birthday cake. They are not really aware that it's their birthday.

Exactly how did the mom know that the kid was dissapointed? Did the one year old girl tell her?

I'm sorry but my son turned 1 a few months back and I made this big deal about the party, food and especially making the cake. I spent months designing and practicing and finally when he had the cake in front of him, he just continued eating his celery without even looking at the cake.

So, don't worry about it. I'm sure your cake was gorgeous and the mother was just a kook.

I want to meet this miracle child who at age 1 can talk. i don't know of any baby that can say more than mama or dada at 12 months let alone voice their opinion of their like and dislike over something

This definately reeks of freebie

that's what i was thinking too....all the 1 year olds i've seen can barely talk....let alone be hatin bears....what baby hates bears??

this makes me so angry that people can be so rotten....i'm so glad that "what comes around goes around"....

Call back and ask to speak with the daughter! haha! I agree - total BS! My daughter is turning 2 next month and I promise she still doesn't care what her cake looks like or where we have her party or what food we serve or anything else for that matter!

My daughter did have about a 25 word vocabulary at age 1 and the ped. said that she had a "very advanced speech" - so what is this kid some kind of baby rocket scientist - seriously that is just the silliest thing I have ever heard!

Unless of course like someone else said - is this a 3 generation thing - was it really Grandma that you were dealing with and her daughter (baby's mom) didn't like the cake?? But to say the 1 year old didn't like it!!! GET REAL!

Good luck and please let us know how it turns out!! So sorry this has happened, but I would LOVE to see a pic, b/c it sounds wonderful!!

No kidding....Ditto to everything everyone else said....My son is almost 9 mos and I can tell you if it doesn't make him gag he will eat it...Even my almost 4 year old....If there's cake involved there is no going back....He thinks it is torture when I have an order he cant touch....He always gets to lick the icing bowl and utensils so he is happy. My suggestion....If they don't give you a pic of exactly what they want than oh well...I think good word of mouth travels faster and longer than bad...especially if people saw the cake....When a customer sends me a picture of a cake...I tell them...It is NOT going to look EXACTLY like that (I'm still starting off) and usually they are okay with it...If not find someone else. That is all you can do...It sucks when they act like that but you will get Good and Loyal customers...It just takes time!! My one Loyal customer....HAS 8 KIDS She could keep me busy all year!!! Good Luck and don't let it get you down!!!

It sure is nice that everyone jusmps right in with such good advice/opinions. I fear that I may have the same experience in the morning with one of my cakes... that's exactly why I'm up at this hour on CC!

I am having a poo poo night right now too. I am making Snoopy's dog house and having SERIOUS cake problems. I can't do anything else tonight and I am going to get up at like 5:30 in the morning to finish. So I really should be in bed - but NO..... I'm looking at cake porn again! I really need help - the first step is admitting you have a problem right???

Maybe it was the Grandma saying that her daugher, the baby's mama, did not like the cake. I am curious what the OP has to say. Perhaps the client interpreted the offer of a refund as a request to return the cake, which would then leave them without a cake for the party.

Just to clarify, we are talking 3 generations. The young mom that ordered the cake was not there when I arrived, and instructed Grandma to receive the cake and pay me.

It was the grandma that called me, explaining how disappointed the mom was with the cake.

Delivering was a pain in the hiney, as she agreed on a time, kept changing the time, etc... So when we finally agreed on the time, I wanted to get rid of the cake, (dust my hands free of it all) and I forgot to take a picture! It was really pretty....

I made a 2 tier cake 8 inch and 6 inch round, because I was not sure how the portions are figured out with the sizes yet. I know I have big cake eaters in my house, so I guess I was a little on the generous side...

Thanks for all your support and cheering... I needed it. And no refunds, I promise

I'm sorry that happened to you. Sounds like a very cool cake and a genuine suctomer. I coined that word some years ago to describe this type of customer.

However my first born spoke very early, in sentences. No kidding. I distinctly remember her first birthday. I had made a darling rag doll for her by hand. By hand. Adorable doll. Perfect doll. No sewing machine.

She played with the box the camera film came in (hey this was 28 years ago) and she had always been enamored with the little red tomato pin cushion that of course I never let her touch--so her daddy got her a mini tomato pin cushion sans pins of course. And she played with that in the other hand.

I had to make her hold the doll for the picture. sniff-- lol (little brat!)

But she was taking in sentences from the get go. I got stories of her that I would not believe if I hadn't been there. She came out incredibly advanced verbally.

I want to meet this miracle child who at age 1 can talk. i don't know of any baby that can say more than mama or dada at 12 months let alone voice their opinion of their like and dislike over something

This definately reeks of freebie

LOL...I can picture the ONE year old...."mother, this is NOT what I requested... and you KNOW I HATE bears"...like Stewie from Family Guy...

I want to meet this miracle child who at age 1 can talk. i don't know of any baby that can say more than mama or dada at 12 months let alone voice their opinion of their like and dislike over something

This definately reeks of freebie

What 1 year old tells you what they do and don't like about a cake! Give me a break. Don't feel bad or take it to heart. Many people out there cannot be pleased.

Don't feel bad....you are going to stupid customers and customers who aren't going to like your cakes (for whatever dumb reason) but then you will get customers who adore your work as an "artist" and love your cakes as a baker extraordinare.

Since when does a 1 yr old need a "mature" cake? Roses and no bears...pffft! Sounds like the mom needs a smack in the chops!

OK I see now that the one who was disappointed and "did not ask for the bears" was the child's mother, and HER mom (ie child's grandma) was who you meant when you said "the mother loved it" i.e. mother of the customer.

That said, it still sounds like you went above and beyond the call of duty and delivered a beautiful cake that served more than they paid for. She was distraught because she did not want the bears? That's just nuts. I understand she probably couldn't take them off without marring the icing underneath...but, distraught??

I think the only thing you should feel bad about is that this customer (or her mother) was rude enough to complain about something so generous, especially when she herself loved it! Might have been a good time for her to say "Oh my, I thought it was gorgeous and I told the decorator so. She probably thought she was doing something nice by adding these cute bears." Even if they are sticklers for details and were disappointed to have something "unapproved" on the cake, it's one thing for them to say "You know, in future please don't add anything outside of what we discussed" but it's entirely another thing to say "I am distraught by the addition of this decoration" for my one-year-old-child. Ugh.

Not to steal the post, I've made 2 tier cakes for 20 people often....it's called a a 5x7 or 5x8. Some people want a tiered cake for a small amount of servings, so they get it.

If the customer was disappointed, what are ya gonna do? I agree, how can a 1yr old be disappointed, the client was just putting the blame on the baby. Darned if you do, darned if you don't. Trying to be nice can bite you sometimes.